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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 1 |
| 1877 | 4 |
| 1879 | 1 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1889 | 1 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 1 |
| 1892 | 3 |
| 1893 | 3 |
| 1894 | 2 |
| 1895 | 1 |
21 stories matching sham
- The McKinley Tariff Sham
A political critique on how proposed protectionist duties on farm goods served industrial monopolies rather than the rural population.
- The 'Veneer and Sham' of 19th Century Schooling
A historic critique of a curriculum overstuffed with 'smatterings' and fancy subjects, arguing that public schools were failing to provide the basic, useful education required for life.
- The Iron War for Seattle
How the city’s early pioneers fought a cutthroat land-monopoly struggle to ensure Seattle would not be sidelined by the Northern Pacific Railroad.
- The Sham Inspection of the Northern Pacific
A whistleblower account of how railroad executives entertained government officials with champagne to secure unearned land grants.
- The Great Political Tickling: How Daniel Bugley Outwitted Seattle’s Beriah Brown
A fiery editorial in the *Snohomish Sun* exposes a political alliance between two rival editors, accusing them of using religious fervor as a cover for partisan maneuvering.
- The Charity Investigator Who Unmasked a Double Life
A Seattle superintendent suspected fraud in a widow's plea for aid and uncovered a deception that revealed much more than empty cupboards.
- The Conductors' Deception and the Streetcar Showdown
A bigamous electric car conductor is chased through the streets of Seattle by two women he had convinced he was their husband.
- The Radical Doctor of Seattle
An 1876 lecture at the local Opera House challenges the city's elites, railing against the morality of wealth, the indignity of labor, and the hypocrisy of the church.
- The Mock Wedding Scandal
A Seattle bride files for divorce, revealing her husband tricked her into a sham ceremony before marrying her for real under the watch of a constable.
- The Bunko Men, the Norwegian Sisters, and the Saloonkeeper's Revenge
A shell-game gang swindles two Norwegian sisters out of $300 on the Seattle waterfront; Frank Hart is convicted in three minutes, then a saloonkeeper assaults one of his accusers outside court.
- A Grand Jury's Reluctance
Tacoma officials allege that a grand jury investigation into the 'water works steal' is a sham designed to protect corrupt councilmen.
- The Fake Evening Herald
A morning newspaper launches a sham evening edition to monopolize city printing contracts through a loophole in the city charter.
- The Sham Colony of Whatcom County
Federal investigators expose a fraudulent scheme to seize timber lands using dummy 'pre-emption' entries.
- The 'Bear of Third Street' Prank
A group of rowdy boys in 1880s Seattle found a cruel way to terrorize women walking home alone at night.
- The Jailhouse Performance of an Insanity Faker
A man accused of horse theft attempts a desperate, bumbling ruse to avoid trial by feigning madness, only to be caught plotting his escape with stolen keys.
- Tacoma's 'Life Insurance' Was a Flim-Flam, and the Law Is Closing In
The West Coast Life Insurance Company's officers face prosecution after state examiners expose a sham; a receiver takes over.
- Boodle Charges and a Vendetta at the University of Washington
A disgruntled former foreman accuses contractors and regents of corruption in the new state university building, but his allegations are picked apart by those involved.
- The Hypocrisy of the Amen Corner
A skeptical local columnist exposes the 'sham' piety of a congregation member, offering a gritty glimpse into the social life of 1877 Seattle.
- The Bitter Winter Job Hunt
A laborer complains that the territory is a 'fraud,' sparking a debate about migration, timing, and the realities of frontier economic cycles.
- The Unsung Toll of the 19th-Century Newsroom
A sermon reprinted in the Seattle press reveals the brutal reality of working as a journalist in 1877—from midnight shifts and 'fetid alley-ways' to the constant temptation of artificial stimulants.
- The Daily Rhythms of a Mill Town
A glimpse into life at Port Gamble in 1877, where sawmills drive the economy, ships arrive from across the globe, and the community gathers to mourn and celebrate.
Also about this, in other words
- A Public Shaming in 1876 Seattle
A husband takes to the pages of the local newspaper to publicly disavow his wife, a common, legally sanctioned form of domestic surveillance in the late 19th century.
- The Ghost-Hunter Comes to Seattle
Notorious spiritualist Anna Eva Fay visits the New Seattle Theater to perform a scientific séance, bringing tales of talking heads and astral projection.
- An 1875 Public Shaming in Seattle
A husband publishes a newspaper notice to strip his wife of her financial agency after she leaves their home.
- A Seattle Preacher Tells Society Women They Are Marching Their Children to the Gallows
Preaching to women only on "Dying Mothers and Starving Children," Rev. M. A. Matthews calls society "the emptiness of emptiness" — and blames card parties, prizes and maternal neglect for juvenile crime.
- The Soapy Scandal of South Seattle
A federal revenue collector busts a clandestine distillery masquerading as a soap-making business.
- The Salvation Army's Odorous Opponents
A group of young men tried to drive the Salvation Army out of town by dousing their hall in polecat oil.
- Smuggling Silks in His Trousers
A crew member of the steamship Olympia attempts to bypass customs, revealing the era's aggressive enforcement against Chinese laborers.
- An 1874 Public Shaming of a Missing Wife
A husband publishes a newspaper notice to strip his spouse of financial agency after she leaves their home.